What to know, golfers to watch as The Ascendant returns to TPC Colorado for 5th edition
Five years in and The Ascendant at TPC Colorado golf tournament has become a summer sports staple in Northern Colorado.
The Korn Ferry Tour event returns to Berthoud for its fifth edition, this time with a new date, one week later than its typical Fourth of July weekend slot.
The Ascendant ignites the back portion of the Korn Ferry Tour slate after a holiday weekend off, as pro golfers vie for a top-30 season finish to earn their PGA Tour card.
Here's what golf fans should know about the 2023 tournament, including players to watch, how to watch/follow online, ticket options and more.
Players to watch at TPC Colorado
David Skinns
The Scotsman comes in at No. 4 in the Korn Ferry standings with five top-10s and a win this season.
But he also has a history at this course, battling Tag Ridings in that thrilling playoff two years ago and claiming a runner-up finish. Can he continue his strong year and claim the hardware this time?
Tom Whitney
The Air Force Academy graduate is plenty familiar with TPC Colorado, and he's often one of the local faces of this event.
This time around, he enters the event during one of his best professional seasons to date, sitting at No. 7 in the Korn Ferry standings. He has five top-6 finishes and is fresh off third place at the Memorial Health Championship, where he closed with rounds of 63 and 61 on the weekend.
Jeremy Paul
Speaking of local connections, Paul played for CU from 2013 to 2017 and knows this course well. He ascended last year's Ascendant leaderboard on Sunday, firing a final-round 66 to finish tied for third and two shots off the winning total.
At No. 52 in the Korn Ferry standings with just one top-10 finish this season, Paul could use a strong finish here to propel him into top-30 contention.
Pierceson Coody
A former University of Texas star and rising PGA hopeful, Coody has shifted between the tours this season.
He's got a Korn Ferry win and made three cuts at PGA Tour tournaments, good enough for 13th in the current Korn Ferry standings. Coody was in contention here last year, but a final-round 71 kept him to a 30th-place finish at 8 under-par.
Sam Saunders
The Fort Collins resident and grandson of golf legend Arnold Palmer has kept plugging away in recent years, and it's been paying off this year.
Saunders enters with a runner-up and three top-10 finishes this season. He had a top-40 finish here last season at -6 and knows this course better than just about anyone in the field. He'll be a fan favorite as usual this week.
Tournament schedule, format
The tournament features four 18-hole rounds, one per day Thursday (July 13) through Sunday (July 16). The field of 156 will be cut to the low 65 scores (including ties) for the final two rounds on Saturday and Sunday.
Leaders are expected to tee off by 1:30 p.m. on the weekend, though that's weather permitting. The 2022 final round was moved up nearly three hours due to anticipated inclement weather.
The prize purse for the 2023 edition is up to $1 million, with the winner slated to earn $180,000.
Past TPC Colorado results, champions
The tournament has been remarkably competitive, with three of the four champions winning by just one shot. A new event scoring record has been set each of the past two years.
Here are the previous Ascendant at TPC Colorado winners:
The event has become a launchpad to the PGA Tour, with Ledesma, Zalatoris and Dou all moving up the season after winning at TPC Colorado.
Zalatoris is currently No. 13 in the Official World Golf Rankings and owns three top-3 finishes at major championships since his 2020 win.
Dou has tallied four top-20 finishes on the PGA Tour this season, including a T-5 at the AT&T Byron Nelson in May. He will not be defending his Ascendant title this week.
Fan FAQs, tickets, what to know
Tickets can still be purchased for the event, with a single-day pass costing $25 and full-week passes going for $55.
Clubhouse-access tickets are $45 per day and $90 for the whole tournament. Tickets for the Summit Club hospitality tent (located behind the 15th green) run $200 to $210 per day and $795 for all four days.
You can purchase tickets at theascendant.com/tickets.
Free admission is available for the following groups:
U.S. active duty and U.S. Military retirees with a valid military ID (shown at ticket window)
anyone 15 years and under when accompanied by a ticketed adult
PGA TOUR, Champions Tour, Korn Ferry Tour, PGA TOUR Canada, PGA TOUR Latinoamerica, PGA TOUR China, PGA of America or LPGA members and staff
There are several prohibited items for fans, including lawn chairs, posters and signs, outside beverages, video cameras and pets.
Bags can be used on the grounds but must either be clear or smaller than 6-by-12-by-6.
Parking will be located at the TPC Colorado entrance off Grand Market Avenue and TPC Parkway. Tournament staff will direct you once you drive past the TPC Colorado Gatehouse.
For more fan FAQs and information, visit theascendant.com/spectator-information.
The TPC Colorado course
The TPC Colorado at Heron Lakes course opened in summer 2018 and is an 18-hole layout just northwest of Berthoud.
The course plays as a (long) links style, with many deep pot bunkers and picturesque holes lined by lakes and distant Rocky Mountain views.
The course was designed by Arthur Schaupeter and is listed at 8,029 yards on the Korn Ferry site — breaking its own record as the longest on the Korn Ferry Tour.
How to watch, follow The Ascendant at TPC Colorado
An updated leaderboard will be available online throughout the tournament at PGAtour.com/korn-ferry-tour/leaderboard.html.
For the third straight year, there will also be livestreaming on the weekend. You can watch at PGA Tour Live and GolfChannel.com.
About the Korn Ferry Tour
The Korn Ferry Tour is just below the PGA Tour and one of the main paths professional golfers follow in hopes of reaching the PGA Tour.
At the end of this season, the top 30 Korn Ferry Tour players will receive their PGA Tour cards for the 2023-24 season.
Past graduates of the tour include current PGA Tour stars Scottie Scheffler, Justin Thomas, Sam Burns, Max Homa, Tony Finau, Jason Day and Sungjae Im.
This article originally appeared on Fort Collins Coloradoan: Korn Ferry Tour: What to know about 2023 The Ascendant at TPC Colorado
